Sewer flooding control apparatus



May 1, 1951 E. C. HANSON SEWER FLOODING CONTROL.- APPARATUS Filed Nov. 12, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR EDWARD c. HANSON ATTORNEY y 1951 E. c HANSON 2,550,924

SEWER FLOODING CONTROL APPARATUS med Nov. 12, 1947 vs sheots sheet 2 m'vzwrae' A zaweacwmvsow er fi rmm.

y 1951 E. c. HANSON 2,550,924

SEWER FLOODING- CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 12, 1947 S Sha'ets-Sheet s BY Zine/MY Patented May 1, 1951 SEWER .ELOODING CONTROL APPARATUS Edward C. Hanson-,.Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Protection Equipment 00., Inc., Minneapolis,

Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application November 12, I947, Serial No. 785,213

Claims.

This invention has relation to a sewer floodin control apparatus adapted to preclude back-up flooding from sewerdrain pipes.

An object of the invention is to provide a sewer flooding control apparatus which will .be of novel and improved construction;

A further object is to provide a sewer flooding control apparatus wherein will be incorporated desirable and improved features and characteristics of construction novel both as individual .en-

tities of the apparatus and in combination with I each other.

A further object is to provide in the apparatus, novel and improved mechanism devised to be actuated by sewage to regulate a water flow control valve employed in the manipulation of a sewer drain pipe control valve.

And a further object is to provide a sew-er flooding control apparatus of structure as hereinafte set forth.

With the above objects in view, as well as others which will appear as the specification proceeds,

the invention comprises the construction, o

.rangement and combination of parts asnow to be fully described and as hereinafter to be specinvinelevation and .on a. reduced scale, taken at the position indicated, generally, by line "2'-'2 in Fi 1;

Fig. '3 is a detail sectional view, taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2; v I

Fig. 4 is a detailsectional view, taken on line Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view, taken on line 55 in Fig. 4

Fig. dis a detail sectional view, taken'on line Fig. 7' is a detail view disclosing parts in elevation as they would appear from the position of line 1-1 in Fig. 1'; l

Fig. 8 is an enlarged central sectional view detailing a Water flow control valve of the apparatus; and

Figs. 9 and 10 are diagrammatic views illustrative of the mode of operation of the water now F control valvedisclosed in Fig. .8.

With respect to the drawingsand the numerals of reference thereoma sewer drainpipe IB adapted to be connected toan ordinary sewer, is conwtiguous with a casing-lit sofa gate valve ll:;for

cc hoose. drain nine to. each other, and. when the controlling a drain pipe (not "shownof a house sewerage or drainage-system adapted to -lead from a basement, or the like, to the side of the casing '46 opposite the sewer drain pipe 15. The s'truction and arrangement will be such that said sewer drainpipe 15, the casing lliand-the house system drain pipe will be in longitudinal alinement, with the drain pipes at opposite sides of and securely fastened to said casing in liquidtight manner.

A stem 18 for the gate valve ll-passes upwardly through a stuiling box 19 which the casing F6 supports;

A pair of upper and lower castings, denoted 211 and 2-1, respectively, serve as cylinder heads for a cylinder which additionally includes a tubular member 22. The cylinder composed "or the heads 20, 21 and the tubular member; 2-2 is supported by the casing 16 and is situated above said casing in spaced relation thereto, As disclosed, tie rods '23 extend through marginal portions of the castings '20 and 2 I; and nuts 2 4 on said rods are turned down against the upper surface of the casting "2 0 and the lower surface of the casting g] to clamp the tubular member 22 between said castings 2!] and 2i. Downward extensions on the lower easting 2] integrally or rigidly support spaced apart flange elements 25, 25, and tie rods 26 extend through said flange elements and also through an annular flange 21 on, the casing I6. spacing sleeves 28 on the tie rods 28 and between the flange elements and-the annular flange 2'? fix the relationship orthe'castlng- 2| to the casing (l6, and nuts 29 on said .tie rods 26 are turned down againstupper surfaces of said 'fia'nge elements 25 and the lower surfaceof said annular flange 21 to clamp said spa'cing'sle'e'ves 28 between the flange elements and the annular flange.

When the'nuts 24 are turned down, the opposite tubular member 22, may be attached to. the stem 1810f the gate valve 11in any convenient and preferred manner, Said stem 18 is slidab yeuided in the castings or cylind r heads 20 :and 2t, an stoning boxes 3| are disposedabout the stem an carried by said castings or heads. 7

The piston 30 is actuated by water under .in. fluence of head pressure of a source (not shown) of water sup l as, forexample. und r head pressure of water employed an ordinary house supply :water system. When said piston .30 is elevated, the stem l8 and the gate valve 11 are raised o open the sewer drain pipe lined the piston is depressed, the stem and gate valve are lowered to shut off communication between said sewer drain pip and house drain pipe. Obviously, movement of the gate valve to closed position in the casin l6 will preclude travel of sewage from the sewer drain pipe l5 to the house drain pipe and preclude the passage of sewage into a basement, or the like, when there is backup of sewage in a sewer to which said casing I6 is connected. 7

A housing 32, situated at a level below the inner or house end of the sewerage or drainage system from which the house drain pipe leads, provides a float chamber 33 in which a float 34 is mounted to be capable of havin up and down movement :in a vertical plane. A lower wall 35 of the housing .32 is rigidly supported, as at 36, upon the sewer drain pipe l5, and a centrally disposed opening 31 in said lower wall 35 is contiguous with an opening 38 in an upper portion of said sewer drain pipe |5. The interior surface of the lower wall 35 is of conical configuration and slants downwardly and inwardly from the cylindrical side wall of said housing 32 to the opening 31.

The float 34 is adapted to be elevated in response to back-up in the sewer to cause the piston 3|! to be depressed, through the instrumentality of water pressure under the influence of head pressure, and the gate valve |1 thus to be moved to closed position, and said float is adapted to be depressed by gravity upon the cessation of sewer back-up to cause the piston 3!] to be elevated, also through the instrumentality of water under the influence of said head pressure, and the gate valve thus to be moved to open position.

, A water flow control valve 39 consists of a hollowed outbody member 40 and a flat base member 4| secured to and against each other, as by headed and nutted bolts 42. A cylindrical valve member 43 is rotatably situated in a chamber 44 of the body member 40 with its peripheral portion 45 snugly engaged against an internal cylindrical :surface of said body member, one of its end suriaces 46 engaged against and rotatably slidable over an internal flat surface of the base member J, and its other end surface 41 contiguous with a part of said chamber 44 at the side of the cylindrical valve member 43 opposite said base -member 4|. A stem for said valve member 43, fixed against longitudinal movement but freely .rotatable in the body member 40, is denoted 48, and a compression coil spring situated between and within reduced portions of the valve stem 48 and the valve member 43, for urging said valve member into pressing engagement with the base [member 4|, is indicated 49. ISaid valve member and valve stem are assembled together in such manner that the valve member will be rotatable with the valve stem when this is rotated but will be capable of being resiliently urged by the com- ,pression coil spring 49 in direction away from said valve stem and toward the base member 4|. A stufiing box 50, disposed about the valve stem 48, is carried by the body member 40. An inlet passageway 5| of the body member 40 is con- ',tigl10l1S with the part of the chamber 44 with which the end surface 41 of the valve member 43 is contiguous, and an inlet pipe 52 from a source (not shown) of water supply under head pressure is connected to said inlet passageway 5|. An out- 5 let port 53, contiguous at its interior end with the end surface 46 of said valve member 43, extends through the base member 4|, and an outlet pipe 54 is connected to said outlet port 53.

A port 55 through the base member 4| is connected to the casting or' cylinder head by a pipe 56, and a port 51 through said base member 4| is connected to the casting or cylinder head 2| by a pipe 58. The ports 55 and 51 are contiguous at their interior ends with said end surface 46 of the valve member 43, and the castings or cylinder heads 2|] and 2| include ports contiguous with the interior of the tubular member 22 and to which the pipes 56 and 58, respectively, lead.

The valve member '43 includes a relatively short, circumferentially extending passageway 59 for water contiguous at its opposite ends with the end surfaces 46 and 41 and adapted selectively to be alined with the ports 55 and 51, and also includes a comparatively long, circumferentially extending concavity 60 for water contiguous with said end portion 46, constantly alined with the outlet port 53 and adapted selectively to be alined with said ports 55 and 51. The construction and arrangement will be such that when the circumferentially extending passageway 59 is alined with the port 55 it will be out of alinement with the port 51 and the circumferentially extending concavity 69 will be alined with said port 51 and out of alinement with said port 55, and when said passageway 59 is alined with the port 51 it will be out of alinement with the port 55 and said concavity 60 will be alined with said port 55 and out of alinement with said port 51.

In Fig. 9 of the drawings, the valve member 43 is disclosed, in dotted lines, with its circumferentially extending passageway 59 alined with the port 55 and its circumferentially extending concavity 60 alined with the port 51, as well as alined with the outlet port 53. In said Fig. 9, said valve member 43 obviously is situated to permit flow of water under head pressure from the inlet pipe 52 by way of the inlet passageway 51 to the chamber 44 and thence by way of the passageway 59, said port 55 and the pipe 56 into the end portion of the tubular member 22 adjacent the casting or cylinder head 20, and also to permit flow of water from the end portion of said tubular member 22 adjacent the casting or cylinder head 2| by way of the pipe 58, the port 51, the circumferentially with said outlet port 53. In said Fig. 10, the valve member 43 obviously is situated to permit flow of water under head pressure from the inlet pipe 52 byway of the inlet passageway 5| to the chamber 44 and thence by way of the passageway 59,

said port 51 andthe pipe 58 into the end portion of the tubular member 22 adjacent the cast- 1 ing or cylinder head 2|, and also to permit flow of water from the end portion of said tubular member 22 adjacent the casting or cylinder head 20 by way of the pipe 56, the port 55, the circumferentially extending concavity 60 and the outlet port 53 to the outlet pipe 54.

The float 34 constitutes means for rotatably manipulating the valve stem 48 in such manner that the cylindrical valve member 43 will be situthe float is in a depressed position.

The float chamber 33 is closed, save for the opening 31 and a vertical vent pipe 6| in the upper wall of the housing 32 adapted to lead to 80 in said spaced apart legs 63, 66.

horizontally disposed and situated in vertical alinement with said closure wall.

A vertical rod 68, suitably and conveniently connected, as at 69, to a midportion' of an upper "surface of the float 34, extends freely upwardly through and in spaced relation to an upstanding tube lll having its lower end fixed, was at 1|,

in the upper wall of the housing 3 2. The vertical rod 68 and the upstanding tube It are disposed substantially centrally of the upstanding vessel "62 in spaced relation to its side wall, and upper portions of said vertical rod are slidably guided in vertically alined bushings T2 and I3 supported by the closure wall 64 and the base 6?, respectively.

The water flow control valve 39 is suitably and conveniently supported, as at 14, upon the casting or cylinder head 28, and an actuating lever Hi-for the valve stem 48 is rigidly secured, as at 16,150 an exterior portion of said valve stem to extendin general direction toward the vertical rod 68. A bifurcated-exterior end portion of the actuating lever provides spaced apart arms l1, T! at opposite'sides of said vertical rod '68 and between the spaced apart legs 66, 66, and "the vertical rod rigidly supports a cross pin 18 having its opposite end portions freely situated in elongated slots I9, 19 in the spaced apart arms 11, TI and slidably arranged in vertical slots 80,

Roller members on the cross pin l3 and in the elongated slots I9, 19 are indicated 8|, 8|, roller members on saidcross pin and in the vertical slots 83, 80

"are designated 82, 32, and retainer pins in the outer ends of the cross pin 1-8, at the exterior sides of the spaced apart legs 36, 66, are represented s Upon rise of sewage in the float chamber 33,

"due to back-up of sewage in the sewer, the float 34 is elevated to cause the vertical rod 6'8 and the cross pin 18 to lift the adjacentend portion 4 of the actuating lever 75 to move the valve member to its position as in Fig. 9, thus to permit flow of water under head pressure from the inlet pipe 52 to the end pcrtion'oi the tubular member 22 adjacent the casting or cylinder head and flow from the end portion of said tubular member adjacent the casting or, cylinder head 2 l to the outlet pipe 54. The water entering the casting or cylinder head 23 end of the tubular "member 22 under head pressure obviously will cause the piston 39 to be depressed and the gate valve IT to be moved to closed condition oithe sewer drain pipe l5.

Upon fall of sewage in the float chamber 33, whenback-up in the sewer is discontinued,jthe

float 34 islowered by gravity to cause the vertical rod 68 and the cross pin 18 to depress the adjacent end portion of the actuating lever 15 to move the valve member 43 to its position as in Fig. 10, thus to permit flow of water under head pressure from the inlet pipe 52-"to the end portion of the tubular member 32 adjacent the .casting or cylinder head 24 and flow from the end portion of-sald tubularmember adj acent'the Roasting or cylinder head 29. to the outlet pipe'i l. 1

The water entering the casting or cylinder head 2"! end of the tubular member 22 under head pres sure'obviously will cause 'the piston 30 to be elevated and the gate valve H to be moved to open condition of the sewer drain pipe 15.

The upper portion of the float 34 carries a suitable valve 84 01? structure to snugly engage a valve seat 85, provided by the lower end of the upstanding tube 16; when said float is at its highest elevation, The valve B l and the valve seat 85 evidently cooperate with each other to seal the float chamber 33 against the passage of sewage from said float chamber into said up standingv tube It when the float has been elevated to position above which there could be possibility of ingress of sewage to the upstanding tube.

By reason of the fact that the interior surface of the lower wall 35 of the housing 32 slants smoothly downwardly and inwardly from the cylindrical wall of said housing to the opening 31 in its lower wall, the float chamber 33 is selfflushing. Thus, no clogging of said float chamber, which would interfere with the transmission of back-up pressure'to the float chamber and also interfere with proper movements of the float, is liable to occur.

The apparatus incorporates a construction and arrangement, including the upstanding vessel 62 and the upstanding tube 10 as parts thereof, providing a liquid seal for and above the floatcham- -ber33, the obvious purpose of the liquid sealbeing to preclude the passage of odors from the float chamber 33 up through said upstanding tube 10 and into the interior of a house or other structure in which the apparatus may be situated.

Of course, odors, if any, can pass freely from the float chamber through the vertical vent pipe 6| to outside atmosphere. I

The upper end of the upstanding tube 10 terminates at an intermediate portion of the upstanding vessel :62, adjacent the midheight of said upstanding vessel in the disclosed embodiment of the invention, in considerably spaced relation to the upper wall of the housing 32. A

confining member in the upstanding vessel 62 consists of a tubular element 86 open at its lower end and closed at its upper end by a base wall 81 rigidly secured, as at 88, to the vertical rod 68. The tubular element 86 is of greater diameter than the upstanding tube and of smaller diameter than said upstanding vessel 62. The base wall '31 is secured to said vertical rod 68 at a location spaced from the float 34 such that when said float is at its lowermost position, said base Wall 81 will be situated in spaced relation to the upper end of the upstanding tube 10 and the lower end of the tubular element 86 will be in spaced relation to the upper wall of the housing 32, about as disclosed in Fig. 2 of the drawlugs, and when the float is atits upp rmost positionsaid lower end of said tubular element 'yet will be at an elevation below said upper end of said upstanding tube.

The closure wall 64 on the. upper end of the upstanding vessel 62 includes an opening having therein .a funnel 89,, and the, outlet pipe 54 in- .cludes an outlet end above and in communicatingrelation to said funnel.

The upstanding vessel 62 and the tubular element 85 are adapted .to contain water up to the location of the upper end of said upstanding tube 10 so thatodors, in :order to escape from Til ltube, would be required to travel along a tortuous '37 path first upwardly through said upstanding tube, thence downwardly through water in said tubular element and finally upwardly through water in said upstanding vessel. Stated otherwise, there will be water in the upstanding vessel 62 and the tubular element 86 up to a level in horizontal alinement with the upper end of the upstanding tube '10, and the confining member, constituted as said tubular element and the base wall 81, comprises, together withsaid upstanding tube and said upstanding vessel, an instrumentality for precluding passage of odors from the float chamber 33.

Although water may be manually poured through the funnel 89 into the upstanding vessel 62 until this contains water up to the desired level, said upstanding vessel conveniently can be supplied with water exhausted from the tubu- -lar member 22 by way of the outlet pipe 54. The

capacity of said tubular member desirably may besuch that water discharged therefrom during a single stroke of the piston 30 will be suflicient to fill the upstanding vessel 62 up to the location of the upper end of the upstanding tube 19. Clearly, water above the location of said upper end of said upstanding tube will flow by gravity through the upstanding tube and the float chamber to the sewer drain pipe l when the float 34 is in a depressed position. The capacity of the portion of the upstanding vessel 62 above the upper end of said upstanding tube will be of sufiiciently great magnitude to contain water discharged from the tubular member 22 during a stroke of the piston 33 while the float 34 is elevated. Immediately when said float 34 commences to fall, to cause the valve 84 to become removed from the valve seat 85, water contained in said upstanding vessel above the upper end of the upstanding tube 10 will commence to flow by gravity through said upstanding tube and the float chamber 33 to said sewer drain pipe l5. Water exhausted from the tubular member 22 in excess of that utilized in the upstandingvessel 62 for liquid sealing purposes passes harmlessly to the sewer by way of the upstanding tube 10, the float chamber 33 and the sewer drain pipe IS.

The gate valve I! may be of ordinary or preferred construction. As disclosed, said gate valve includes a pair of oppositely disposed plates adapted to be urged against oppositely disposed circumferential valve seats of the casing I6 when the gate valve is in closed position and to be removed from said circumferential valve seats when said gate valve is in open position.

Attention is called to the fact that all of the working elements of the apparatus are substantially in a single plane which also includes the sewer drain pipe :5 and the gate valve casing 16.

What is claimed is: 1. In an apparatus of the character described,

a sewer drain pipe, a valve for controlling said sewer drain pipe, a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a member connecting said sewer control valve to said piston, means including water under pressure from a water supply system for actuat- -to said cylinder, said mechanism comprising an inlet from said water supply system, an outlet for water, separate water connections leading to said cylinder atopposite sides, respectively, of

said piston, a water connection leading from said inlet to each of said mentioned separate water connections, respectively, a rotary valve operable selectively to allow passage of water to each of said last mentioned water connections, a water connection leading from each of said mentioned separate water connections to said outlet,

said rotary valve being operable selectively to control passage of water from each of said water connections leading from said mentioned separate water connections to the outlet and in such manner that when the rotary valve is actuated to allow passage of Water to the portion of said cylinder at one side of said piston passage of Water to the opposite side of said piston will be precluded and so that when there is communication between said inlet and the portion of said cylinder at one side of said piston there is communication between the portion of said cylinder at the opposite Side of said piston and said outlet, a stem for said rotary valve, an actuating lever rigid with said stem, and means for swinging said lever in response to rise and fall of liquid level in said sewer drain pipe.

2. The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said means for swinging said actuating lever includes a float as a part thereof.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a sewer drain pipe, a housing providing a chamber for sewage to which said sewer drain pipe is open, a member in said chamber adapted to rise and fall with rise and fall of level of sewage in said sewer drain pipe and. chamber, means including a vertical rod for guiding said member, and a water seal for an upper portion of said chamber constituted as a vessel upon said housing and adapted to receive water, a vertical tube within said vessel and open to said chamber and a confining member consisting of a base wall secured to said vertical rod and a downwardly extending tubular element rigid with said base wall and open at its lower end disposed within and in spaced relation to said vessel and in spaced, surrounding relation to said vertical tube.

4. In a sewer flooding control apparatus for preventing back-up flooding from a sewer drain pipe, a valve for controlling said sewer drain pipe,

means including an actuating lever and water under pressure for actuating said valve, a housing providing a chamber for sewage to which said drain pipe is open, a member in said chamber actuated in response to rise and fall of sewage in said sewer drain pipe for regulating said means, means for guiding said member including a vertical rod to which said actuating lever is operably connected, a water seal for an upper portion of said chamber constituted as a vessel upon said housing adapted to receive water, a vertical tube within said vessel and open to said chamber and a confining member consisting of a base wall secured to said vertical rod and a downwardly extending tubular element rigid with said base wall and open at its lower end disposed within and in spaced relation to said vessel in spaced, surrounding relation to said vertical tube, and mechanism for utilizing waste water from said actuating means to the provision of said water seal.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a sewer drain pipe, a valve for controlling said sewer drain pipe, a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a member connecting said sewer control valve to said piston, means including water under pressure from a water supply system for actuating said piston in opposite directions to open and close said sewer drain pipe control valve, said water under pressure being adapted to be supplied to said cylinder at either side of said piston,-and mechanism for regulating the supply of Water to said cylinder, said mechanism comprising an inlet from said water supply system, an outlet for water, first and second water connections leading to said cylinder at opposite sides of said piston, a rotary valve operable selectively between a first position allowing passage of water from said inlet to said first water connection and from said second water connection to said outlet and a second position allowing passage of water from said inlet to said second water connection-and from said first water connection to said outlet,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,779,040 Hardacker et a1. Oct. 21, 1930 1,799,849 Hardacker et a1 Apr. 7, 1931 2,373,935 Winter Apr. 17, 1945 

